A woman is sexually assaulted when a man forces his way into her home on Madison's south side. After kicking in the door, the man viciously beats and chokes her. Police say the rape is connected to two previous home invasions, including one other sexual assault, in the past year.

Larry Gardner, 56, of Madison, is shot to death outside a south-side apartment building on Cypress Way. Police release sketches of two men they believe were involved.

Rodney Sykes, 40, of Madison, is sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading a crack cocaine ring in Dane County. His accomplice, John Fox, 49, of Marshall, is sentenced to nearly four years in prison. The two were caught after selling drugs to an undercover police officer.

The Associated Press reports that David Bethea, chairman of the UW's Slavic languages department, is back in the U.S. after being drugged and robbed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Bethea, 59, was found dumped in a remote park 12 hours after drinking drug-laced coffee.

Saturday 11.24

Warren WhiteLightning, 36, of Crandon, steals a Krispy Kreme truck in front of an Open Pantry and leads police on a chase down University Avenue. After driving the wrong way down the street and crashing into a squad car, he surrenders to police. Police say WhiteLightning had been drinking. MPD sources insist that bagels are more popular than doughnuts among cops. Who knew?

Shaun Winter, 26, of Madison, is shot and killed by a fellow hunter in Price County. Winter is Wisconsin's third hunting fatality this season.

Monday 11.26

Fire officials say a discarded cigarette is to blame for a house fire that killed 23-year-old Peter Talen on Nov. 17. Talen was visiting his brother, a UW-Madison student, when the fire broke out at a house on Bedford Street near campus.

Tuesday 11.27

Reggie Bicha is appointed to lead Gov. Jim Doyle's new Department of Children and Families. The new department will condense more than 30 services from the departments of Health and Family Services and Workforce Development. Bicha will start in July.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that federal prosecutors in the case of former Overture head Robert D'Angelo withdrew a subpoena to uncover the identities of customers who bought used books through Amazon.com. A judge earlier ruled the subpoena violated customers' First Amendment rights. D'Angelo is charged with fraud, money laundering and tax evasion for allegedly running side businesses from his city office.

Wednesday, 11.28

The nonpartisan state Legislative Audit Bureau releases a report showing that lists provided by the state Elections Board to municipal clerks in the November 2006 elections included the names of more than 1,500 former felons who were inaccurately classified as being ineligible to vote.